PDEA torches drugs worth P5.32B

The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) reported in Manila that it has destroyed a total of P5.32 billion worth of dangerous drugs and controlled precursors and essential chemicals (CPECs) in Cavite province.

In a statement, PDEA said the contraband included 2,227.7584 kilograms of solid illegal drugs and 3,447.0920 milliliters of liquid narcotics.

These were destroyed through thermal decomposition or thermolysis at the Integrated Waste Management Inc. facility in Barangay Aguado, Trece Martires City.

Among the destroyed substances were 38.2005 kilograms of shabu, 1,478.4915 kilos of marijuana, 4.8668 kilos of ecstasy, 39.2168 grams of cocaine, 2.2116 grams of toluene, 6.1516 grams of ketamine, 5.5100 grams of phenacetin, and 1.0400 gram of LSD (lysergic acid diethylamide).

The agency also destroyed 2,000 milliliters (ml.) of liquid cocaine, 49.0420 ml. of liquid meth, 1,398.05 ml. of liquid marijuana, and assorted surrendered expired medicines.

PDEA Director General Undersecretary Isagani Nerez said the drugs that were destroyed were all obtained through legal and official means and that the method of disposal ensured they could not be recovered or reused.

“These are pieces of drug evidence confiscated during anti-drug operations by PDEA and other counterpart law enforcement agencies, including those turned over by authorities and recently ordered by the court to be destroyed. Stacked inside a chamber, the dangerous drugs were burned beyond recovery,” Nerez said.

Among the destroyed evidence were 404.9515 kilos of shabu seized during a joint interdiction operation conducted by PDEA, the National Bureau of Investigation and the Bureau of Customs at the Port of Manila on 23 January this year.